Milton Scales, trustee of the Charter Township of Meridian, was selected as the recipient of the LCC Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award for 2013. (Photo courtesy of www.miltonscales.com)

LCC’s Alumni Association selected Milton Scales as the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award for 2013.

Scales is a trustee of the Charter Township of Meridian and the CEO and president of M.L. Scales ad Associates, LLC.

According to Andrew Lathrop, president of the LCC Alumni Association, retired Ingham County Circuit Judge Paula J. Manderfield nominated Scales for the award.

“Learning I was selected the 2013 Distinguished Alumni for Lansing Community College was a humbling experience for me,” Scales said.

The award was presented to Scales during LCC’s Commencement May 17 at MSU’s Jack Breslin Center. A special reception for Scales will be held Thursday, May 23 at 6 p.m. at The MARC in Okemos.

“I will use this honor as a teachable moment for young family members, young men I mentor and neighbor children who view me as a role model,” Scales said.

Scales said he was approaching 40 years old when he graduated from LCC in 1995. He returned to school to enhance his educational standing after an unsuccessful attempt for promotion to lieutenant in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality.

“When the position became available two years later, I was able to articulate the various ways I worked to improve myself during the interim,” Scales said. “The major improvement was expanding my education by earning an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice and Business Management at LCC.”

Scales received the promotion to lieutenant the second time around. The following year, he was promoted to the director of the Office of Criminal Investigations, where he oversaw a statewide force of environmental crime investigators.

Scales is also a national council member for the Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a non-profit anti-crime organization led by Michigan law enforcement.
According to Lathrop, Scales is the 23rd recipient of the Distinguished Alumni of the Year award since the LCC Alumni Association was established in 1991.

“LCC introduced me to critical thinking skills and taught me how to study and learn,” Scales said. “This led to my pursuit of even higher education, which includes a Bachelor of Science in Community Development, master of Science in Administration and a Political Leadership Fellowship.

“I credit LCC for turning my life around at 40, proving that it is never too late to learn,” Scales said. “As someone once said, ‘You don’t have to be sick to get better!’”

Senator Carl Levin (right) addresses a gathering at LCC April 26 during a visit by Assistant Secretary of Defense Frederick Vollrath. The two were seeking to learn more about LCC’s Military Medic to Paramedic Program. (Photo courtesy of Lansing Community College)

LCC’s presence during the April 29 White House forum was the focus of the college’s board meeting May 13.

Speaking before the board, LCC Dean of Health and Human Services Margie Clark said it was an honor to be invited to the forum to speak about the college’s Military Medic to Paramedic Program.

The invitation came after U.S. Senator Carl Levin, along with Frederick Vollrath from the U.S. Department of Defense, visited LCC April 26 to learn about its paramedic program.

Clark and LCC faculty members Elva Revilla and Lisa Ferris-McCann presented at both round-table discussions at the White House forum. The forum focused on developing strategies to transfer military training and experience into credits toward nursing, physical assistant and EMS certifications.

“What is key about our program is we assess it through a competency evaluation on a two-day orientation before (students) can enter the program,” Clark said. “We test their competencies in the skills.”

Clark said those in the forum were mesmerized when they learned LCC was giving out free college credit based on experience.

To Clark’s surprise, the Department of Defense announced it would adopt a national model based on LCC’s paramedic program.

“They said we were years ahead of the country,” Clark said. “They also said the vision of giving free experiential credits is not only generous, but it’s what everyone should do in the country.”

According to Clark, representatives from the Department of Defense want to partner with LCC’s Military Medic to Paramedic Program.

“In the end, (the program) was very well received and I believe we are all very proud of the work the college is doing,” Clark said.

During the board meeting, Clark suggested granting more free experiential learning credit across the college, not just through the paramedic program.

“I think that’s a great idea, and it would be great to have it across the college,” Trustee Deborah Canja said. “You can see the movement now is toward competency-based accreditation.”

For more information about LCC’s military medic to paramedic program, go to http://www.lcc.edu/nursing/militarymedic/

.

LCC actor Rebecca Holderread (right) accuses Thomas Shauver of breaking her heart during Love isn’t Blind in Black Box Theatre May 11. (Photo by Nathan Wilson)

Audiences were treated to a comedic show about the ups and downs of love in LCC’s Black Box Theatre May 10 and 11.

Directed by LCC instructor Paige Dunckel, Love isn’t Blind was free, although donations were accepted to fund scholarships.

The performance consisted of three one-act comedies presented by the 1st Semester Contemporary Realism Studio Theatre.

“This is like a final (exam) for the students who are in the theater program,” Dunckel said. “At the end of the semester, they have to do a public performance to show everything that they’ve learned.”

Dunckel said she wanted to choose a performance where the characters were well-defined and the actors would have an opportunity to take risks on stage.

One scene during the performance cast Kimberli Minuth as a mime who showed up to a blind date with Scott Wheeler — who looked visibly horrified.

During another comedic scene, actor Dustin Dikes played the role of a nerd who had a phobia for everything imaginable. His fear of food and dinner conversation ended the date on a sour note.

The performance elicited lots of laughs and applause from the audience.

Love isn’t Blind ended on a happy note with actors Patrick Lyons and Kelley McNabb hooking up after a series of disastrous dates.

“The subject material was easy because we’ve all dated, we’ve all had bad dates, we’ve all had bad breakups,” Wheeler said. “Personally, I had one not too long ago, so this helped me laugh off that.”

Wheeler said the most difficult part about Love isn’t Blind is trying to create distinct characters for each scene.

Michael Samhat, who is dual-enrolled at Stockbridge High School and LCC, said his favorite role in the performance was the pirate who showed up to a blind date.

“It’s so much fun to be able to switch characters,” Samhat said.

“When you make an audience feel something, that’s when you actually feel like you’re an actor. … I just love doing this program. It’s so fantastic.”

Representing the 91st Police Academy, Andrew Waldrop (right) recalls the hardships and triumphs his class endured over the semester May 7. (Photo by Nathan Wilson)

“Left, right, left!” These words rang out as the 91st Mid-Michigan Police Academy marched into the room at LCC’s West Campus during graduation May 7.

A total of 15 students endured over 690 hours of education and training before ultimately taking the stage to receive their certificates.

“We were brought together by the 91st Mid-Michigan Police Academy, but what we built while we were here was a sustaining brotherhood that will last a lifetime,” said Andrew Waldrop, representing the graduating class.

“We came together to overcome any hurdle that stood in our way, working together on problems. … Everything we did was as a unit.”

Waldrop recalled some humorous memories of practical situations in training.

“There was no way we could have dealt with Sgt. Burkhardt running out of his truck in a bathrobe and shower cap, chasing us down with a knife,” Waldrop joked.

Andrew Lathrop, president of LCC’s Alumni Association, commended the graduates on their achievement and encouraged them to stay in contact.

“We’d be happy to host reunions and we’d be happy to do whatever you want to do when you come back to campus,” Lathrop said, “if you want to speak to a class in three years out or do things similar to that to give back.”

Lathrop presented the graduates with LCC-customized license plate frames.

Kevin Roman received several special certificates during the ceremony, including “Firearms Achievement,” “Subject Control,” “Physical Fitness” and the coveted Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) award.

Andrew Duling received the academic award, achieving the highest GPA among the 91st academy: 91.73 percent. Luke Silver received an award for outstanding report writing.

Eric Acevedo received the “Driving Achievement” award and Ryan Panetta earned the “Coordinator’s Award.”

“You know that being a police officer is like no other job,” said Police Academy Coordinator Andrew Lindeman at the closing.

“You have accomplished the Police Academy and your new journey is ahead. Enjoy it, live it, and, most importantly, take the time to feel it. Take it from this veteran: Your journey will go fast.”

The Lookout editors Joe Israel, (from left) Shauna Stocken, Nathan Wilson and Nikki Nicolaou show off their honorable mention for general excellence award April 27. (Photo by Larry Hook)

The Lookout staff earned six awards during the 2013 Michigan Community College Press Association (MCCPA) Conference at Central Michigan University April 27.

Among the awards, The Lookout staff earned an honorable mention in “General Excellence” and third place for “Online Newspaper.”

Dominick Mastrangelo, the former sports editor, received both an honorable mention for “Sports Column” and an honorable mention for “Sports News Photo.”

Amber Glomb, The Lookout paginator and staff writer, received an honorable mention for “Front Page Design.”

“I came into The Lookout not knowing much about page design,” Glomb said. “I learned a lot this year. It was very exciting finding out that I had been given an honorable mention in ‘Front Page Design.’”

Glomb, who is majoring in American Sign Language, said she considered leaving The Lookout because of her hectic schedule.

“The award actually made me rethink my decision of not coming back to The Lookout next year,” Glomb said.

Jenna Miller, the former photo editor for The Lookout, received second place for a “Feature Photo.”

“I was pleased we earned six awards,” The Lookout Adviser Larry Hook said. “I actually think we deserved more. We had an excellent staff this year and a very professional-looking newspaper, and I’m very proud of The Lookout reporters.”

Before the awards ceremony got underway, sports radio personality and CMU graduate Terry Foster addressed the audience. Foster covers the Pistons and Tigers for The Detroit News and co-hosts the Valenti and Foster Show on 97.1 FM The Ticket.

Foster described the journalism industry and what initially drew him to it.

“Do not be afraid to have your feelings hurt (in journalism),” Foster said.

“We all think we’re good … But we have to learn from others, people who know better than us. And then once you get all that knowledge, you pass it along to someone else and you critique other people.”

When asked by an audience member who he enjoys writing about the most, Foster said his best interviews were with Grant Hill when he played for the Pistons.

Included in the repertoire of professional journalist presenters were Erik Holladay, Brian Manzullo, Adam Graham, Todd Stowell and Chad Livengood.

Hook said he appreciated the guest journalists and student workshops.

“There were a lot of interesting topics for people to learn about, including photography, advertising, reporting, page design and more,” Hook said. “With most of our staff returning in the fall, hopefully they can put some of the things they learned to good use.”

Stanley Coleman received the Outstanding Learner Award from te Capital Area Higher Education Network. (Photo by Nikki Nicolaou)

Amber Glomb

Staff Writer

Stanley Williams said he never thought school was for him.

Now at age 44, Williams has earned his general associate’s degree, is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, and is graduating magna cum laude all while earning the Outstanding Adult Learning Award (OALA).

According to Cassie Little, the Capital Area Higher Education Network (CAHEN) representative for LCC, OALA awards are a part of the organization.

“OALA is a chance to recognize adult learners who are pursuing education at one of CAHEN’s partner institutions and have made contributions as leaders in the Lansing community,” Little said.

Williams was nominated for OALA by faculty member Megan Lin. According to Williams, Lin made learning fun and interesting, and she helped make him comfortable in the classroom.

“He really had a lot of perseverance,” Lin said. “He was grateful for and enthusiastic about his education … What he calls himself is a guy straight out of the hood.

“He said this quote ‘guys like me don’t get educated.’ I thought (nominating him) would be an inspiration to other guys like him.”

Williams said he never expected to win the award.

“When I found out I won, I was like, ‘Man, for real?’” Williams said. “I never win anything. I was shocked … but I was honored to get it.”

Williams said when he was younger, he never thought that furthering his education was for him and that college was for the smart students and privileged people. He graduated high school with a 1.9 GPA.

“I was the type of student that when you took attendance, you hoped I wasn’t there,” Williams said. “I was horrible.”

After graduating, he became a medical specialist in the United States Army in 1987. According to Williams, this is where he found his calling.

“Even though I was a wild and crazy person back when I was young, I always wanted to help people,” Williams said.  “If I saw a car accident, I would run up to the car and help … Being a medic gave me the opportunity to help people.” According to Williams, after getting out of the Army, he lived his life on the streets and battled depression, alcohol and drugs for 15 years straight.

Through it all, he said he never felt comfortable with what he was doing. Williams found help through the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Volunteers of America. They helped him connect with LCC to pursue his dream of becoming a nurse. “It just shows that no matter how old you are, you can still learn,” Williams said. “You can go to school and achieve high goals or high standards if you just apply yourself.

“Besides that, I love school. I love college.”

LCC alumnus Leslie Aaron (left) speaks with a St. Vincent Catholic Charities representative about volunteer opportunities offered in the Lansing area April 17. (Photo by Suzanna Powers)

Nathan Wilson

Associate Editor

 STARFest, a week-long LCC celebration of culture, included “Welcoming; Your LCC” in the second floor Gannon Building lobby April 17.

Sharon Letson from LCC Student Support Services said the event was designed to educate the college community about America’s immigrant and refugee population.

“We have a lot of immigrant and refugee students on campus and a lot of different languages spoken,” Letson said. “We just want people to be aware of the difference between a refugee, an immigrant, a migrant and an undocumented national.

“We’re trying to educate people what those different terms mean … because a lot of people lump everyone into the same category.”

According to Letson, one of the ways the college can create a welcoming environment for immigrant and refugee students is through the Welcoming LCC Initiative.

Letson said the initiative is modeled after the organization Welcoming Michigan, which works toward building immigrant-friendly communities.

Interested students were able sign up for information about Welcoming Michigan and Welcoming LCC.

Representatives from the following organizations were standing by to provide information about immigration: St. Vincent Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services and the Refugee Development Center.

Locally-owned bookstore Everybody Reads was also present with an assortment of multicultural books. During the event, author Shirin Timms hosted a special book signing for her novel Finding Refuge. She is also the director for the Refugee Development Center.

“(Finding Refuge) started out as a family project to tell the story of my family,” Timms said. “It’s actually a novel so it’s also layered in with my own experiences working with refugees, which I started doing in 2001 … All of that was put together to create a novel.”

According to Timms, Finding Refugee was especially inspired by her father’s journey, who was born and raised in Iran.

“It was my father’s desire to make sure that what he lived and experienced was captured for my generation and the next generation,” Timms said. “We decided to make it a novel so we would have more room to protect people and their privacy because of the political realities that exist in the world.”

For more information about immigrant and refugee services, contact Letson at letsos@lcc.edu.

LCC Cross Country and Track Coach Chuck Block (right) presents Jaclyn Magness with the Philip J. Gannon award April 12. (Photo by Suzanna Powers)

Nathan Wilson

Associate Editor 

Many LCC student organizations and departments convened for the 46th annual LCC Student Recognition Celebration on West Campus April 12.

“This is always my favorite time of the year because it’s a chance to step back and look at what we’ve accomplished on campus,” said Director of Student Life Al Nowak as he welcomed the audience.

LCC President Brent Knight echoed that thought, describing how those being recognized had accumulated skills that will help them in the future.

After a hearty dinner buffet, Coach Chuck Block presented the Philip J. Gannon award to not one but two athletic recipients. Sophomores Nick Moon and Jaclyn Magness received the prestigious honor, both have been standouts in both cross country and track at LCC.

Nowak presented the Denise E. Harris STAR award to Maggie Whaley, the vice president of service from the college’s Phi Theta Kappa Mu Tau chapter. The award was established to recognize student success.

Nowak also announced Mary Brown as the adviser of the year. LCC student Amanda Anne presented her with a vase filled with flowers.

Afterward, seven student registered organizations doled out awards and certificates.

Nowak and Renee VanDeventer from Student Life called up first-year and second-year students from LCC’s Student Leadership Academy. The academy focuses on servant leadership and requires a minimum of 45 hours of volunteer service from each member every semester.

According to VanDeventer, members of the Student Leadership Academy volunteered 1,900 hours during the 2012 fall semester.

LCC Dean of Students Evan Montague delivered closing remarks at the end of the ceremony.

“I’m very proud, and I appreciate being a part of this evening,” Montague said. “I ask two things of you … What does it mean to be recognized? What makes you feel recognized?

“You should all feel very fortunate. Being part of student organizations and student clubs, you’re more likely to finish your college degrees.”

LCC Radio on air talent and production employee Mike Steibel hosts The Local Lunch Hour show. (Photo by Suzanna Powers)

Sarah Spohn

A&E Editor

A community staple, a local gem and the soundtrack of surrounding neighborhoods, LCC’s very own WLNZ 89.7 FM Radio has been getting songs stuck in heads for over 15 years now.

Being coined as “your community station,” a major effort is kept to feature homegrown artists and songs.

Involved year after year in local music festivals like Old Town’s Jazz and Blues Fests, WLNZ epitomizes community and its staff works hard to be a vital part of the local music scene.

The station’s staff spends time to get involved in the community and makes an effort to get outside of the TLC basement. Student employee and on-air talent Mike Steibel said people want a sense of community, and LCC Radio, to many people, is just that.

Steibel spoke about his love for his job, which started as a volunteer position.

“Out of all the work places I’ve ever had, it’s the coolest place,” Steibel said. “Who wouldn’t want to have music as their job?”

According to Love, when the Coffee Break show began in 2001, listeners’ way of hearing the news was forever changed, thanks to an idea by former station manager Dave Downing.

Instead of many shows, which featured stories on the outcome of events that already happened, this hour-long show includes local non-profits and community organizations in studio discussing upcoming events.

“(Downing) wanted to put something together for the community to see what these non-profits were doing,” radio host Karen Love said. “And they do amazing things for our community.

“I co-host the Coffee Break show (with Jack Robbins) and that is the best hour of my day.”

The station’s not all public service announcement business, though. After all, it’s radio — so expect plenty of jam sessions, including a live show every Friday in Old Town’s Sir Pizza.

A freshly-introduced special spotlight featured a seasoned group of Blues musicians, The Root Doctor, as its first M897 artist spotlight. Future spotlight bands will be featured on lcc.edu/radio with a free single download.

“We’re really focused on the local stuff right now,” Love said. “It’s something that nobody else is really doing.”

LCC Radio plays everything from folk, jazz, blues, roots, local music and some more well-known names, like Mumford & Sons and the Dave Matthews Band.

All bands, whether big names or small, have to start somewhere and LCC Radio continues to support local talent and spread the word about artists on the rise. Countless hardworking volunteers, energetic staff and true love for music keeps this nonprofit station going.

“I love being able to listen to music and just interacting with everybody,” Love said. “I’m a radio geek so anything that has to do with radio … I’m just all about it.”

Dr. Richard Prystowsky, Ph.D. was approved as LCC’s senior vice president of Academic Affairs April 9. (Photo courtesy of www.ncstatecollege.edu)

LCC’s Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Dr. Richard Prystowsky, Ph.D. as senior vice president of Academic Affairs during a board meeting April 9.

The position is also known as provost.

Going into effect June 1, 2013, Prystowsky will take on the responsibilities of maintaining and overseeing the quality and integrity of the college’s academic programs. LCC Dean of Students Evan Montague was also a candidate for provost.

Prystowsky has served community colleges for over 25 years, during which time he taught English and Humanities at Irvine Valley College. He is also the interim dean of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness at Hartnell College in Salinas, Calif.

“Dr. Prystowsky brings a superb breadth of academic and administrative experience to LCC,” said LCC President Brent Knight in an April 10 press release.

“He understands the importance of helping students achieve their academic goals and will be a key leader in our efforts to enhance student success.”

Prystowsky said he was thrilled when the position of provost was offered to him a week before the board’s approval.

“I had been very interested in this position,” Prystowsky said. “I really thought the college was doing great stuff and I was interested in being a part of that … When I got the call, I felt absolutely terrific and very honored.”

Prior to being appointed senior vice president of Academic Affairs, Prystowsky hosted an open forum with LCC faculty March 27.

He touched on several topics, ranging from conflict resolution to ensuring student success to whether he would serve with a faculty-oriented approach or an administration-oriented approach.

Prystowsky said he plans on relocating with his wife to an area close to LCC for this new job opportunity.

As provost, Prystowsky said he would to take some time to assess the overall situation of Academic Affairs before setting objectives. This would involve talking to faculty about what initiatives the college is implementing and incorporating

“My ultimate goal is always I want (LCC) to be the model that everyone else wants to imitate,” Prystowsky said. “It might not be the case that we would be able to do that in every single way. I can’t think of an example in the world in which any institution is able to do that … but they all strive for that. That’s the key.”

Prystowsky added that he felt a strong vibe from those involved at LCC when he was interviewed as a candidate.

“I felt energy from a lot of folks to be energized in their mission and purpose, and that’s exciting,” he said. “I really want to be a part of that.”

Jack Bergeron has been serving as interim provost since Dr. Stephanie Shanblatt, Ph.D. left in summer 2012 to become the president of Bucks County Community College in Pennsylvania.

Bergeron will resume his duties as associate vice president of Academic Affairs when Prystowsky takes over.